UK moves ahead with Heathrow Airport expansion plan
The 10-week consultation sets four tests for expansion, including climate and noise limits, as ministers say the project could add 45 million passengers a year.
- Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander launched a 10-week consultation on Thursday regarding the renamed Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement , outlining conditions required for the proposed third runway to receive approval.
- Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the government describe the expansion as "critical" for national growth, projecting it could deliver more than £40 billion in benefits and support over 60,000 local jobs across the UK.
- The HENPS requires applicants to meet four tests: aligning with legally binding climate targets, avoiding new air quality breaches, and ensuring noise emissions do not exceed 2024 levels, with reductions where possible.
- Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye welcomed the announcement as "progress," while London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan opposed the plan, citing the "severe impact it would have on noise, air pollution and ability to meet climate change targets."
- With the consultation concluding in August, the government targets a 2029 planning decision and a 2035 runway completion, though critics like MP Munira Wilson argue officials are "rushing" the process.
17 Articles
17 Articles
UK government opens consultation on Heathrow third runway
The UK government has launched a public consultation on the framework for future decisions on a third runway at Heathrow Airport, marking a step toward a final planning decision in 2029. The consultation, which opened on June 18, 2026, will run for more than 10 weeks until September 1, 2026. It invites businesses, communities and the public to weigh in on how a third-runway project would address four key areas: air quality, noise, climate change…
Ministers open door to phased Heathrow third runway plan
Heathrow’s third runway expansion may be built over several phases in a bid to hit the government’s ambitious timeline, opening the door to a proposal tabled by rival bidder Heathrow West. In planning documents published by the Department for Transport on Thursday, the government said that a phased construction of the mega-project may be necessary given the scheme’s “scale, complexity and delivery timeframe”. Heathrow West, backed-by billionaire…
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